Universal handle for surgical instruments



June 2, 1925' 1,539,831

E. (2. DAY

UNIVERSAL HANDLE FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS Fiied Oct. 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. C. DAY

UNIVERSAL HANDLE FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS June Filed Oct. 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [/1 III Emorg, .0. Day

WITNESSES ATTOR N EY Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES EMORY 0. DAY, or LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

UNIVERSAL HANDLE FOR SUBGTCAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed October 23, 1922. "Serial No. 596,396.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMORY C. DAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laguna Beach, in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Universal Handles for Surgical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a universal handle for surgical instruments, and more especially for instruments of that type which are used in connection with nose and throat surgery or natural and artificial body cavities.

The general object of the invention is to provide a handle of this nature which may be used for different instruments, and which is so constructed that during the operation of the instrument, the latter may be held wit-h great steadiness even by an operator with comparatively little experience.

The invention is in the nature of an improvement on the construction shown in my Patent No. 1,47 0,914, issued October 16, 1923. The improvements over the construction shown in said application include a simplified construction of the operating lever by means of which the instrument is operated; an improvement in the instrument carrier by means of which the force is applied more directly thereto, thus eliminating the friction to a large degree; and improvements in the means by which the various parts of the device are assembled whereby they may be more easily taken apart for the purpose of cleansing the same. I

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown the invention as used in connection with a tonsil snare.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of my invention with parts broken away or shown in section in order to better illustrate the construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with a part thereof shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line H of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is aside elevation of a slightly modified form of the invention, with the plate removed.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the instrument carrier shown in F ig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a Vertical longitudinal section through the instrument carrier showing the engagement of the cam surface therewith.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of a plate used in connection with the stock.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a handhold, which has a downwardly-extending curved arm 2 adapted to fit into the palm of the hand, and an upper projecting curved finger 3 which extends over the hand between the thumb and forefinger.

The handheld is formed integral with a stock 4 composed of a rigid side and a removable side or plate 8, which are spaced,

apart to form a guideway. Said rigid side has a longitudinal channel or guideway 5 which 'slidably receives and guides a rib 6 formed on one side of the instrument carrier or slide 7. The other or removable side of the stock has a corresponding channel or guideway 9 opposed to the channel 5, and constituting a guideway for the rib 6 at the other side of the instrument carrier or slide 7 At the forward end of the stock 4 is formed a lug 10 having an enlarged head which receives and secures the forked end 11 of the plate 8, the rear end of the plate having formed therein a keyhole slot 12, which coacts with a similar lug 13 on the stock, so that the plate or side 8 may be readily attached to or detached from the any suitable manner with a curved cam surface 20 which cooperates with a slot 21 formed in the instrument carrier or slide for moving the latter toward the operator as the lever 18 is drawn inwardly. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the slot 21 extends through the side of the carrier or slide to permit the insertion of the arm which carries the cam surface 20,- and is extended inwardly, as shown by the dotted lines 21. The cam surface 20 forms a curved incline toward the pivotal point of the lever at an increasing curvature, as 'shown'at 22; The pivot or fulcrum of the lever 18 is above the plane of the guideways 5 and 9, and the point of engagement of the surface 20 with the slot 21iis in theplane of said guideways. When the lever 18 is drawn inwardly, therefore, the instrument carrier or slide 7 is drawn rearwardly in the stock by a direct pull without binding, and as the leverage ratio increases, the inclination of the cam surfaceincreases correspondingly. By moving the lever 18 in the opposite direction,

{ the convex side of the cam member engages the opposite side of the slot 21 to move the carrier I outwardly to project the instrument. The handhold rests firmly in; the palm of the hand so that the stock and the instrument may be held steadily while the slide is drawn toward the operator by means of the lever 18. v

y In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a spindle23 is firmly secured to the carrier 7 and is provided at its outer end with a tonsil snare 28 or other instrument. The spindle 23 and the, snare are carried within a tube 24, which is inserted in the outer end of the stock. and is provided with an an nular shoulder 25, which is held against the end of the stock by means of a split sleeve 26, which is engaged with the. end of the stock by means of quarter threads 27. Preferably, to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the instrument, the sleeve 26 is formed with a lateral slot 26 large enough to permit it to be applied over the tube 24.-

In Figs. 5 to 8, I have shown a slightly modified construction of the instrument car rier or slide, whichis indicated in thesefigures by the reference character-'7. In this construction, the carrier is formed with a vertical longitudinal slot 29, which is open at its rear end to permit the insertion ofthe arm 20, and the cam surface ofthe arm 00- operates with a removable pin 30, which is connected to a web 31 countersunk in the surface of the carrier and provided, at its other end with a pin 32 on'whichthe end of the instrument 33 may be PlVOtBdz. When the device is assembled, the pins30 and 32; will beheld in position by the-plate 8;

While I have shown and described my invention as used in connection with a tonsil snare, it will b understood that it is equally adapted for use in connection with any in strument which is used and operated in a similar manner, and while I have illustrated specifically the referred construction, vari ous other modi tionsmay be made within the scope of what is claimed without. departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A handle or holder for surgical instruments including the combination with a stock and a handhold's'haped to fit the palm ments including the combination with a stock and a handholdshapedto, fit the palm of the hand, said stock having parallel lon- ,gitudinal guideways, an instrument carrier reciproca'bly mounted in said guideways, and a. detachable tubular extension through which the instrument is reciprocated,'of a lever pivoted at its upper end to thestock above the plane of. said guideways, and having an inclined cam surface curved toward the pivot and engageable with the instrument carrierbetween and in thelongitudinal plane of said guideways, to draw the carrier inwardly in th guideways when the lever is moved toward the handhold.

3. A handle or holder for surgical instruments including the combinationv with a stock and handhold shaped to fit the palm of the hand, said stock having parallel longitudinal guideways, and an instrument carrier reciprocably mounted insaid guideways, of a lever pivoted at its upper end to the stock above the planeof the guideways, and having an inclined camrsurface curved toward the pivot and engagewble with the instrument carrier between and in the longitudinal plane of said 'guideways, to draw the carrier inwardly in the guideways when the lever is moved toward the handhold, the curvature of the c'am surface increasing as it approaches said pivot.

4. A handle for surgical instruments, comprising a handhold shaped to fit the palm of the hand and having an integral stock with guideways therein, a slotted instrument carrier reciprocable in, said guide.-

ways, and a lever pivoted at its upper end to the, stock' and having an integralv curved arm extending through the vslotof the carrier, which is engageable with oneside of the slot when the lever ismoved toward the handhold to draw the instrument carrier inwardly along. said guideways, engageable with the opposite side of the slot when the lever is moved away from the handhold to move the instrument carrier outwardly.

5. A handle for surgical instruments, comprising a handhold shaped to fit the palm of the hand and having an inte ral stock with a longitudinal channel forming a guideway, a removable plate having a longitudinal channel forming an opposed guideway, a slotted instrument carrier reciprocable in said guideway channels, and a lever pivoted at its upper end to the stock and having a curved arm extending through the slot of the carrier and engageable with the carrier at a point in alinement with the instrument and in the longitudinal plane of the guideway channels when the lever is moved toward the handhold, to draw the instrument carrier inwardly along said channels and operate the instrument.

6. A holder for surgical instruments, comprising a stock, a plate removably secured thereto, said stock and plate having opposed channels forming guideways, an instrument carrier reciprocably mounted in said guide ways and having a slot therein, a forwardly projecting spindle rigidly connected to the carrier and having means for attaching an instrument thereto, and an actuating lever having a cam surface passing through the slot of the carrier and engageable with the carrier at a point in alinement with the spindle, and in the longitudinal plane of the guideways,to operate the instrument.

7. A holder for surgical instruments, comprising a stock, a plate removably secured thereto, said stock and plate having opposed channels forming guideways, an instrument carrier mounted in said guideways and having a slot therein, a pin removably mounted in the carrier and extending across said slot and held in the carrier by engagement between the sides of the stock and plate, and an actuating lever having a cam surface engageable with the pin to operate the in strument.

8. A holder for surgical instruments, comprising a stock, a plate removably secured thereto, said stock and plate having opposed channels forming guideways, a carrier or slide having a vertical slot extending into the rear end thereof, a pin extending across the slot and held in the carrier by engagement between the sides of the stock and plate, and an actuating lever pivoted at its upper end to the stock above the guiding means and having a cam surface engageable with the pin to draw the instrument carrier inwardly in the guideways when the lever is moved toward the operator.

9. A holder for surgical instruments, comprising a stock, a plate removably secured thereto, said stool: and plate having opposed channels forming guideways, an instrument carrier reciprocably mounted in said guideways, a detachable tubular extension at the free end of the stock through which the tool is reciprocated, said carrier having a vertical slot extending into the rear end thereof, a pin removably mounted in the carrier, extending across the slot and held in the carrier by engagement between the sides of the stock and plate, and an actuating lever pivoted at its upper end to the stock above the guiding means and having an inclined cam surface curved toward the pivot and engageable with the pin to draw the instrument carrier inwardly in the guideways when the lever is moved toward the operator, the curvature of the cam surface increasing as it approaches said pivot.

10. A holder for surgical instruments, comprising a stock, a plate removably secured thereto, said stock and plate having opposed channels forming guideways, an instrument carrier reciprocably mounted in said guideways, said carrier having a vertical slot extending into the rear end thereof, a pin extending across the slot, a second pin integral with the first pin and to which the instrument is removably and pivotally connected, said pins being held in the carrier, when the instrument is assembled, between the inner surfaces of the plate and stock, and an actuating lever pivoted at its upper end to the stock above the guiding means and having a cam surface engageable with the first-named pin to draw the instrument carrier inwardly in the guideways when the lever is moved toward the operator.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixed my signature.

EMORY C. DAY. 

